There were a lot of factors that made Michael Jordan different. His endless athleticism. His genius-level basketball IQ. His sneakers and baggy shorts.

More than anything, though, MJ knew he was a bad, bad dude. Now Jordan Brand’s celebrating that one-of-a-kind inner confidence with the “Wings” Air Jordan I. The gold and black sneaker “is a reminder of Jordan’s understanding that hard work overcomes doubt,” the Brand says.

There’s a silhouette of Mike’s wingspan on the heel and tongue of each sneaker and a unique number on the inside of all 19,400 pairs being released to the public.

Here’s more from the Jumpman:

Jordan Brand’s Wings initiative aims to inspire youth to believe in themselves and promotes the importance of education around the globe. Through partnerships with teachers, mentors and communities, Wings instills the confidence needed to unleash the greatness embodied by the iconic Jumpman logo and the belief that everyone can fly.

When Michael Jordan first inked his Nike endorsement deal with a full head of hair in 1984, the plan for the 21-year-old rookie was grandiose from the start. He’d be given his very own signature shoe, the Air Jordan, backed with “aggressive marketing,” as his agent David Falk deemed it.

A five-year, $500,000 cash per season deal with his own shoe and a national commercial campaign? It was unprecedented. Three decades later, the Air Jordan line is the gold standard in basketball sneakers, thanks to MJ’s HOF career and a perfect marketing plan.

By the early ’90s, the Air Jordan had established itself as the pinnacle signature shoe in all of footwear. Year by year, the “game shoe” led the industry in design, materials and innovation, all while setting the bar from a storytelling standpoint by injecting Michael’s sense of style. Designer Tinker Hatfield had done such a tremendous job of incorporating cues from Michael’s life into daring new silhouettes that people were all of a sudden taking note of who the shoe designer actually was. Jordan became the sport’s first global icon. Hatfield became a star himself.

By late 1994, Nike was celebrating a full decade with Air Jordan, even though Michael’s NBA career was technically done. With three consecutive NBA championships, countless scoring titles and the League in the palm of his hands, the challenge for Michael had faded, and he walked away from the game. The internal debate among Swoosh executives was ramping up: Is the Air Jordan line over?

For Howard “H” White, then Michael’s sports marketing rep for the brand, the conversation with Jordan was brief. The upcoming Air Jordan X’s outsole design purposefully encapsulated all of Michael’s accomplishments by literally writing them through the lines of the shoe. It was designed with the understanding that it could be the final model of the series.

“[There was] a lot of uncertainty,” H reflects. “I remember even feeling like the world was done. It’s over—it’s been a great run.”

As many execs doubted the line’s longevity, wanting to turn the focus to young players like Penny Hardaway, Tim Hardaway, Gary Payton and Charles Barkley, Tinker toiled throughout Michael’s “retirement” and kept designing. And White used some high-level convincing to keep the brand alive.

“I remember telling Phil [Knight], You know, I just saw a Mercedes-Benz go right down the street in front of campus,” White says. “He said, What? I’m not quite sure I get your point here. I said, A Mercedes. A Mercedes-Benz was riding down the street. And he said, And your point is? I said, I think Mr. Mercedes has been dead a long time, and it is amazing to me that the Mercedes-Benz could be riding down the street after that man’s been dead. So, really, this can live on ad infinitum. This can keep going, because I’ve never seen it as [just] basketball.”

Indeed by that time, Air Jordan had come to signify the highest degree of design, both in performance innovation and in styling, and it represented Nike’s ability to continually redefine where the industry was headed.

“[Michael] kept telling everybody that he wasn’t going to come back to basketball, and Nike wanted to stop the Jordan line,” says Hatfield. “They didn’t want to do any more Jordans, and their thinking was that he wasn’t going to be playing basketball and we wouldn’t be able to sell Jordans. I disagreed with that, even though the people higher up than me tried to stop me. I didn’t stop.”

Hatfield never truly believed Michael was done with the NBA—he knew his passion for the game of basketball was just too strong. It just so happened that the 11th Air Jordan model, with its iconic patent leather rand, cordura mesh upper and futuristic clear outsole, would immediately become one of the most iconic designs the industry had ever seen. More than just a single shoe, the legacy of the Air Jordan was back, and here for good.

“I think Michael provided something. I don’t think you could do this if it was just about basketball,” says White. “Hope is something that the world needs every day, and they need it in large supplies. And I think Michael Jordan represented that to a lot of people. I think he represented that you could be bigger than your situation.”

Just after Michael and the Bulls won their second consecutive championship in ’97, Nike coined “Brand Jordan” (later flipped to Jordan Brand, and now known simply as Jordan). Having surpassed every other signature shoe in the marketplace, Air Jordan was its very own lane now. A full line of complementary team shoes, casual sneakers and a range of clothing would be added to the catalog.

“I have been involved in the design of everything I have worn from Nike since we began our relationship in 1984,” Jordan said at the news conference held at New York’s then-dubbed NikeTown store. “The launch of the Jordan Brand is simply an extension of that process.” Joining Michael on stage in now-hilariously similar baggy and over-the-top tan tailored suits was the first class of Team Jordan endorsers, including Eddie Jones, Vin Baker, Ray Allen, Michael Finley and Derek Anderson.

In many ways, while he wouldn’t outwardly admit it at the time, the Brand Jordan formation at the start of the ’97 season set the stage for what would become Michael’s final year with the Bulls. The business structure foreshadowed Jordan’s post-career aspirations and how he planned to stay involved with the sport to this day.

Expectations were high right out of the gate. Nike projected Brand Jordan would gross $250 million during the 1998 fiscal year, its first full year in the market. As we’d go on to see into the next millennium, the Brand would blow past those projections with exponential growth into the 2000s.

Having played his final game as a Chicago Bull, surely not even Tinker Hatfield could have predicted MJ’s return to the NBA in 2001 as a Washington Wizard. By that time, though, Brand Jordan was fully afloat on its own.

As Michael’s second unretirement saw him matching up against new foes like Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant—and being treated like royalty at every stop along the way—the brand’s visibility was reaching new heights. Jordan agreed to outfit several of the NCAA’s top college powerhouses, including Georgetown, Kansas, Cal Berkeley and of course, his alma mater, the North Carolina Tar Heels. It would also continue to extend its reach across the NBA, adding Hall of Fame veterans in Gary Payton and Jason Kidd to the roster, along with 2003’s No. 3 draft pick Carmelo Anthony.

It was also in the early 2000s that product manager Gentry Humphrey looked to accelerate the Brand’s retro business. The brand not only re-released some of the most sought after original Air Jordans, but Humphrey also put a plan in place to create new “Retro+” colors of the line’s iconic early models, hitting color hues outside of the familiar Bulls uniforms and cementing a connection to a new generation of young consumers. No longer just Nike’s top annual shoe, the brand was now giving its parent company, Nike Inc., a run for its money.

“We still have our connection with Nike. In some ways we are competition,” Jordan told the Associated Press at the time during a product launch at NikeTown Chicago. “But that is the best type of competition you can have. You are competing with your brother instead of competing with the enemy. I am pretty sure Nike is not going to worry about us until we get in second place.”

Just as White affirmed, Jordan’s legacy was always bigger than basketball. His brand has lived on to showcase his relentless quest to be the best, and that aura and message has still connected and hit home for players and consumers alike just making their way into their own basketball journeys. All this despite the fact that today’s high school kids hadn’t even been born yet when he played his last NBA game as a Bull.

Each year, the Air Jordan signature game shoe is still the brand’s pinnacle model, offering up those same key initial principles and goals of being the best collective showcase of design, innovation and styling. Through the years, the Air Jordan has transitioned from the feet of Ray Allen and Michael Finley, to J-Kidd and GP, to Melo, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. Now, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are each proudly carrying the torch. Just last year, Jordan experienced its highest revenues yet, topping $2.6 billion in sales.

“When you look at players post-retirement, Michael now has an incredibly iconic brand in Brand Jordan,” says agent David Falk. “They’re approaching $3 billion in sales, and their goal when they signed him was to hit $3 million after the fourth year [laughs]. It’s been an incredible success, probably the most successful athletic endorsement in history.”

And while the brand had danced through an array of technologies and naming conventions from the 2000s to now, by all measures, the Air Jordan signature sneaker is back.

With a nod to the signature line’s traditional Roman numerals, the Air Jordan XX8 represented a refocused initiative to re-establish the game shoe as the Brand’s statement level shoe. That was always Tinker Hatfield’s starting point and end goal early on, and as he’s re-engaged with the annual shoe’s design process, it’s his approach that is helping to push the brand into yet another generation of relevance.

“The reason for concept cars is to push for new technologies and new performance. Also, to generate a lot of excitement,” says Hatfield. “In the world of basketball shoes, you can say that it’s pretty much the same thing. We’re looking to push for higher levels of performance and actually change the way a basketball shoe, not only performs, but change how it looks.”

With the XX8 representing that “concept car” mentality most overtly, each subsequent Air Jordan model has featured the Brand’s still-bar-setting Zoom Air technology, along with ongoing woven and knit material evolution that’s centered around improving both fit and lockdown.

“When you think about the power of Michael Jordan’s persona, and the strength of his brand, I think that kind of gives us a little bit of license to push for change and try and get people to come along for the ride,” Hatfield continues. “That’s not easy to do, it’s a little bit risky, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun.”

Michael is now a full 13 years removed from his playing days, but he’s still closely connected to the game as majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Though he entered the League a full generation before the NBA’s salary cap aggressively spiked (for which he was largely responsible), MJ earned just over $90 million in salary for his career. Mike can thank his Jordan Brand royalties for his ability to enter into team ownership, as his 4 percent royalty rate earned him more than $90 million from Nike Inc. in the last year alone. As Nike preps to take over the NBA uniform designs beginning with the 2017-18 season, there’s a widespread assumption within the company that the Hornets—and possibly additional teams, such as Toronto and Washington—will actually feature the Jumpman logo on their jerseys. And going forward, Air Jordan will live beyond the hardwood, having recently partnered with the University of Michigan’s iconic football program and with stars from the other football, like Brazilian soccer star Neymar.

As waves of players and future icons continue to enter the NBA, Jordan’s imprint on League history and his connection going forward gives him a unique foothold in the industry—one that isn’t going anywhere.

“If you added up the sales of every signature player in the NBA today, you’d have to aggregate them all together and still multiply it by two or three, and they don’t sell what Jordan sells,” Falk notes. “Every single guy. LeBron, Kobe, Curry, Durant, and you add them all up. Those are all great players. Michael’s just had a very unique impact.”

For both Jordan and Falk, it’s a legacy over 30 years in the making, but something they believed the power of his transcendent career could carry from the start. “When Michael was 22 years old, I used to tell him, One day, you’re going to get married and have a son. Can you imagine if your son is 14 and he can walk into a Foot Locker and buy a pair of Air Jordan?” Falk recalls. “His kids are in their mid-20s now, and it’s still going strong.”

Jordan has established not only over 30 editions of a signature shoe, but a signature brand that’s provided consumers with endless innovations, and provided his family with endless opportunity. Marcus Jordan runs Trophy Room [more on that soon! —Ed.], while Jordan’s oldest son Jeffrey now works at the Brand, and his daughter Jasmine works for the Hornets.

“People needed to believe that. They needed to believe, Michael Jordan, CEO. Wow, he’s the CEO of his brand. Oh my goodness, you can be anything in life,” White says with a smile. “And those are the building blocks that started it.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/kicks/air-jordan-brand-history-future/feed/01986 NBAEBOSTON - APRIL 17: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls moves the ball against Danny Ainge #44 of the Boston Celtics in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 1986 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 1986 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-104 and won the series 3-0. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1986 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)Only Onehttp://www.slamonline.com/kicks/air-jordan-i-scoop-jackson/
http://www.slamonline.com/kicks/air-jordan-i-scoop-jackson/#respondThu, 01 Sep 2016 14:43:27 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=408726

Thirty years after the NBA banned it, the black/red Air Jordan I deserves credit for today's sneaker culture.

There is no true beginning to this. Untitled, unmastered. It was just a shoe then. An idea. An extended concept from an existing sneaker named after something the man himself had revolutionized.

At the time of the concept’s inception, Michael Jordan was more ideology than star. The idea of what he had the ability to become exceeded what he actually was. David Falk oversold his client to the one non-NBA company that had Jordan’s future in its hands. Nike was brilliant enough to have signed Jordan but had no idea how deep the audacity of thought ran through Falk and Jordan about what they felt they deserved.

The Blazer was George Gervin’s shoe. It was worn by so many other stars, but it was directly associated with Iceman because of the iconic image of him sitting on a throne of ice. The Legend was a shoe making rounds on damn near every playground while also being the “black power” shoe that Georgetown wore while showing the sports world what new defiance looked like. And the Air Force 1 was the Air Force 1. Too epic in stature for just one athlete to lay claim.

That left space for the new kid to claim something that didn’t exist. A kid who, if given the chance, could do more for his game and the company he signed his shoe deal with than John McEnroe had done for them in tennis, than Gervin and Moses Malone had done for them in basketball, than Steve Prefontaine, Bill Bowerman and Blue Ribbon Sports had done for them in track.

Falk’s idea was not only for that kid named Jordan to have his own shoe, but to have his name on it. Claimed. Etched in leather. For Jordan to have his own logo and be separated from every other athlete on Nike’s roster. Branded. For the kid, who in the early pre-rookie season hype had lofted himself into the “pass the brown paper bag, that boy got some Elgin Baylor/Connie Hawkins/Julius Erving/David Thompson in him” conversations, to have his own signature line before the term “signature line” was even invented.

At the least, it was one of the most ambitious moves in the history of the game. The arrogance of it all. But Falk knew what he had and Jordan knew what he had inside of him. All that was left was proof. And for Jordan, that part came easy.

David Letterman (holding an original Air Jordan 1 in his hand): “Is this the shoe that the NBA wouldn’t let you wear? Now why wouldn’t they let you wear it? Just because it’s ugly, for starters, doesn’t…”

Jordan: “Yeah, I agree with you they are ugly.”

“Now wait a minute, didn’t you help design these?”

“The shoe, not the coloring. I didn’t have anything to do with the coloring.”

“Well, what’s wrong with the coloring? What rule did we violate here?”

“Well, it doesn’t have any white in it.”

“Well, neither does the NBA.”

* * *

The Black Toe. That was the first Air Jordan I that Money wore. But it wasn’t the sneaker that caused the ban. The shoe that caused Russ Granik’s office to draft a letter to then-Nike VP Rob Strasser four months after Jordan broke the shoe “color barrier” was the Nike Air Ship. But understand, Nike first, foremost and always is a marketing company. And there was no better way to introduce a new shoe/new concept/new ideology to the marketplace than to “redirect” the story to make it about a future campaign as opposed to a history lesson of an unmarketable past. Nike was not about to put the Air Ship on the shelves. Nike was about to try to sell a shoe with Jordan’s name on it to millions. It needed a narrative. An anti-establishment narrative that one shoe had, but another didn’t. That’s not lying; that’s genius marketing.

The shoe was introduced to us hanging over his shoulders. Pick-up game style on the Chicago greytop. No wings—the original originals didn’t have a Jordan “basketball with wings” logo on the side ankle panel. Just a name. His, preceded by Air.

From there, shit got really, really real. He started doing things in that shoe we’d never seen before. It’s not like he was winning chips like Magic or erasing basketball stereotypes like Bird, but what Jordan began to do once those Jordan Is were officially on his feet was literally the beginning of him making a damn shoe almost as important as he was.

The original shot that would eventually be the silhouette for the logo happened in that shoe. Rookie of the Year, in that shoe. Broken foot, in that shoe. Working out underwater as part of rehab, in that shoe. Sixty-three on the Celtics, in that shoe. Haters gonna hate by freezing a brotha out in the All-Star Game, in that shoe. Winning the Dunk Contest in baby gold rope chains, in that shoe. The famous blacked-out “Banned” campaign, in that shoe. The creation of Mars Blackmon, in that shoe. The last game in the Garden, in that shoe. The beginning of the GOAT, in that shoe.

As “ugly” as the shoe was, it was beautiful. On the court it was so distinctive it made Jordan that much more identifiable while he was playing. As kids who were the same age as Mike who had to sneak into Chicago Stadium to see him and had to watch him from the 500 Level where the cops weren’t looking, we’d ID him by his shoes first. Or watching his games on some fish-eyed 17-inch screen TV that had aluminum foil on the tips of non-functional antennas, we’d find him by looking for the shoes first. Don’t believe? Peep an old Bulls YouTube clip. Can’t distinguish Mike from anyone else? Can’t immediately find him? Look down. Check that 1985 NBA All-Star Game where everyone was wearing like-minded unis and he looked like everyone else in the game. Just look for the shoes. The Is stood out like Becky with the Good Hair at Roscoe’s in Oakland. Them AJ Is could easily be credited with the modern day invention of color blocking.

Especially when he wore the ones with the “white in it.”

Nike history should be broken down no different from our own. Biblical. BC/AD. Theirs: PT/OT.

The Jordan I legacy as a single shoe holds weight mainly because it is the first Pre-Tinker shoe. Only two exist. Once Tinker created the Jordan III, life in this shoe game would change forever.

The storytelling of the shoe over the years is what is unparalleled and unmatched by anything else in the game. Both the releases and re-releases of the shoe that tell new stories and relive others. From the Laneys that never happened to the Shattered Backboards that did. To the 25 lasered autographed ones that exist to the rarified “Lance Mountain” SBs to being the next bespoke sneak cooked up in NikeLab’s 21 Mercer NYC location. To being the cover shoe for one of the greatest sneaker books ever produced, Intercity’s Art and Sole. An honor no other shoe can claim.

By design and status, it lends itself to art in ways no other shoes can or have. But unlike, say, the Air Force 1 or New Balance 574 or Nike SB Dunk or a pair of adidas Stan Smiths, most artists are scared to touch the Jordan I, to use it as canvas to create something different. Either they treat it as “sacred” or say it’s designed “perfectly as is.” Not even the Jordan III gets that “off-limits” respect. (But the Jordan XI kinda does, too, if we’re being totally honest.)

The ban gave the Jordan I a foundation. A moral center. But to this day (despite the reminder on the sole of the new Jordan XXXI), it doesn’t define the total meaning and significance of the shoe. Much the same way Muhammad Ali being banned from boxing wasn’t the full definition of him, just an integral part in the life of who he was, the same holds true with the Jordan I.

As the years have gone by, the place it holds in culture has risen to a space only few sneaks ever reach. The Converse Chuck Taylor, the AF1, the adidas Superstar and Pro Model (the Stan Smith has recently entered into that exclusive club) may be the only others. It is Mount Rushmore material—more specifically, the Jordan I is Lincoln. One of the very, very few that has both relevance and reverence 30 years after it was born—while never once losing stature or having society second-guess or question its significance.

The Jordan I is one of the few shoes since man and woman began wearing shoes where the statement, “It’s better to have four rubber wheels than two rubber heels” does not apply.

As I wrote in the book Sole Provider: It was about…something beyond basketball.

The canvas upper of the Air Jordan I KO has been around since ’85. The classic material gets a black and grey colorway and white midsole for its next release. Look out for these to drop on Saturday, February 6, for $140 at Nike.com.

The Air Jordan I Retro Low OG is back in “Medium Grey” on December 30 for $130. Scroll through the photos above to get a closer look at the iconic, remastered low AJ I with Wings logo on the heel and Nike Air logo on the tongue.

Jordan Brand’s remix of the AJ I and AJ II result in “The Return.” With the upper of the I and the tooling of the II, JB pays homage to the end of the 1985-86 season when Mike was coming back from a foot injury. This sneaker drops on October 22, at 10 am, for […]

Jordan Brand’s remix of the AJ I and AJ II result in “The Return.” With the upper of the I and the tooling of the II, JB pays homage to the end of the 1985-86 season when Mike was coming back from a foot injury.

In celebration of Michael Jordan’s stay in France for Jordan Brand’s Quai 54 Tournament, Pierre Navarro from Orravan Design wanted to give MJ a gift. So he created what he’s called the “EVOLUVERSARY” pack. A one-of-one pack handcrafted for Jordan himself, the EVOLUVERSARY pack consists of two sneakers—the Air Jordan I and the Air Jordan XX9. (Just like the official Air Jordan MTM pack created by the brand itself.)

As you can see in the photos above, the kicks are custom-crafted: one a Charlotte Hornets-themed AJ 1 and the other an AJ XX9 which he calls the “Meteor.” The sneakers took more than 90 hours of labor to customize, with more than 3,500 Swarovski crystals added to the sneakers and the accompanying box.

Stéphane Sornique—who is the art director of L’Equipe Magazine, which is basically like the Sports Illustrated of France—tipped us off to these fresh kicks. He says the name itself is a combination of the words “Evolution” and “Anniversary,” a nod to Jordan Brand’s 30th anniversary this year.

There is special care given to the measurements of each piece of the hand-crafted box, too, like its dimensions in width (45 cm, like MJ’s new number in ’95) and height (23 cm—you already know). Made of real pyro-engraved and gloss-varnished hardwood, the box itself has a Quai 54 logo, Jumpman adornment and signature logo for customs company Orravan Design.

The Air Jordan 1 is the OG to end all OGs. And the original version, the Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG in its first-ever colorway, is returning as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Jordan Brand.

It’s releasing next Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m. for $160—limit 1 per customer. Scroll through the photos above to get a closer look at the Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG “Varsity Red.”

If you somehow missed Brad Hall’s first legendary sneaker unboxing video, you can check it out here. Today, he dropped his second unboxing video, and it does not disappoint. This time around, Brad reviews the “Michael Air Jordan 1…Retro…High…OG… Laser…”

Brad touches on the box itself, once again proves that a shoehorn is pretty swaggy and finally demonstrates how to walk in Jordans without getting creases. You’re welcome, hypebeasts.

VIII season is coming. Today, Jordan Brand previews its Holiday 2015 retro lineup, and all we can say is: Wow. Get ready for three retro colorways of the Air Jordan VIII, plus some long-beloved editions of the Air Jordan I, Air Jordan XIV and Air Jordan VII. Scroll through the photos above and see below for detailed info on each particular sneaker, direct from the brand. No release dates yet, but keep it locked to SLAMonline and we’ll let you know as soon as we do!

AIR JORDAN VIII

Originally debuted by the legend himself during Chicago’s “three-peat” championship basketball season in 1992-93, the Air Jordan VIII was a true showstopper on the hardwood. Featuring distinctive crossover straps atop the laces, the Air Jordan VIII was the last shoe His Airness would wear before his sudden retirement in October 1993.

Jordan Brand will release three colorways of this iconic silhouette during the 2015 holiday season, paying homage to historic moments during Michael Jordan’s career.

AIR JORDAN VIII “AQUA”

Worn originally during the 1993 All-Star Game, the Air Jordan VIII Aqua returns with fully re-mastered construction and OG materials. The classic silhouette features a black Nubuck upper, in addition to Bright Concord and Aqua highlights, that brighten the back half of the shoe.

AIR JORDAN VIII “THREE TIME’S A CHARM”

The Air Jordan VIII Three Times a Charm pays tribute to Chicago’s first three-peat championship season, while taking color cues from each of the three defeated teams. Vivid hues invigorate the white- and black-based shoe, in addition to the Infrared-toned Jumpman highlighted on the new tongue label.

AIR JORDAN VIII “BLACK AND CHROME”

One of the first non-OG colorways of the Air Jordan VIII, the black-and-chrome version makes its return this holiday season. Upon its first release in 2003, the shoe became an instant classic. The black-based upper incorporates chrome-like accents throughout the shoe and pulls design details from the Air Jordan VIII “Playoffs” and Air Jordan VIII “Aqua”.

In addition to the Air Jordan VIII, the brand will release three supplemental silhouettes next winter — the Air Jordan I, the Air Jordan XIV Low and the Air Jordan VII.

Last released in 1999, the Air Jordan XIV Low arrives this holiday season with re-mastered construction and OG materials. The Air Jordan XIV Low draws from the sleek lines and aerodynamic design of one of the world’s fastest automobiles. The all-black nubuck leather upper is complemented by varsity royal accents and maize color splashes.

AIR JORDAN VII

Inspired by Jordan’s vibrant printed sweater and shorts he wore on camera in an iconic commercial, this Air Jordan VII features colorful hues, such as Bright Concord and Soar Blue, energizing the classic, white-based shoe.

The second edition of the Nike SB x Air Jordan I collaboration—celebrating the intersection of skate and the AJI—is designed and inspired by legendary skater Lance Mountain. Dude was famous not only for his skills but for his style, included his signature mismatched kicks. More, from Nike:

More literal with his designs, Mountain chose to emphasize how skaters of the era mismatched pairs in order to extend the life of their Jordans. To create uniformity they would then paint over each shoe. The two Lance Mountain Nike SB x AJIs recreate this aesthetic by mismatching both a black/red and black/royal colorway in one pair and then covering the colors, DIY-style, with black or white paint. As each pair is worn and the paint wears away to reveal the colors underneath, they will become unique to their wearer. Lastly, Mountain created a “Paint shoes not walls” graphic that emblazons his attitude on the insoles.

Ther Nike SB x Air Jordan I designed by Lance Mountain drops on June 7.

The Air Jordan I was originally designed as a premium performance shoe for Michael Jordan. But soon, it became popular in the skate world, too. Twenty years later, Nike SB and Jordan Brand are collaborating to release the Nike SB x Air Jordan I. Designed by Craig Stecyk, it will be available in limited quantities at select Nike SB and Jordan retailers and nike.com starting on March 15.

Earlier today, September 27, 2012, SLAM headed over to Jordan Brand’s Holiday/Spring preview in New York. Suffice it to say, between the CP3.VIs, Melo M9s, ‘Bred’ XIs and ‘OG’ Is on display, JB has a lot of heat on their hands this upcoming season. That’s not all they have, though. An ever-growing collection of t-shirts for Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul are in the works and were on display today as well, as were boots, jackets and shorts set to hit the scene. We know you couldn’t all be there with us this a.m., so we did the next best thing and took some pics back with us. (PS: Be sure to note the M9s, which are due out in the winter, and the CP3.VIs, which are already out…but not in all these colorways.)

In the lead-up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the World Basketball Festival is coming to cities around the world to celebrate. And to commemorate the occasions, Jordan Brand is producing a special pack of limited edition colorways of the Jordan Super.Fly and Air Jordan 1 Retro—specifically designed for Las Vegas, DC and Barcelona. Here are the details on each, straight from Nike:

The ‘Las Vegas’ colorways takes their cue from the attire worn by famous performers of Las Vegas’ early days who wore black jackets with satin linings, crisp white shirts and red ties. The JORDAN SUPER.FLY and the AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO HIGH ‘Las Vegas’ will be available on Saturday, July 7.

‘Dress blues’ were the inspiration for the ‘D.C.’ colorways, mimicking the uniform and medals of a decorated officer. The JORDAN SUPER.FLY and AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO HIGH ‘D.C.’ will be available on Saturday, July 14, when World Basketball Festival 2012 makes it stop in Washington, D.C.

World Basketball Festival 2012 will conclude its tour in Barcelona, paying tribute to one of the best teams in sports history. The JORDAN SUPER.FLY and AIR JORDAN 1 KO HI ‘Barcelona’ were inspired by a famous painting of a Spanish bullfighter and will be available on Saturday, July 21.

Here’s some new angles of the Dave White x Air Jordan 1 “WINGS For The Future”. Put together for the WFTF education program, White’s splash graphic style is surrounded with red, white and black color blocking, as well as grey elephant print forefoot overlays. Very limited release on September 1.

It looks like Jordan fever’s spreading, and I can’t say I’m all that mad.

Just in time for the release of our special Jordan issue, our friends over at Jordan Brand sent over some info about something special they’ve got brewing, too. In honor of the renewed buzz surrounding MJ thanks to his Hall of Fame induction on September 11, the brand which is his namesake is launching the Jordan Moments Collection. Sneakerheads, take notice.

Each of the three shoes in the collection marks a different part of Mike’s illustrious career. There’s The Beginning (left), in the form of the Air Jordan 1 (my favorite Jordans of all time), tweaked a bit from their original release. Next are The Championships (right), called Jordan 6 Rings, boasting elements from the signature shoes that he wore during his championship runs (Air Jordan VI, VII, VIII, XI, XII, XIII, and XIV). Finally, there’s The Future (below), the newest offering representative of where the brand is heading.

These exclusive joints all look very fresh (as you can see) and you’ll be able to cop ‘em for the right price on September 5. The Beginning will retail for a cool $125, while The Championships will go for $175 and The Future will sell for a round $200.

Sometimes it’s enough to be first. There are many things that the original Air Jordan was not: comfortable, technologically advanced, uniquely designed (unlike virtually all that followed, the original Air Jordan was essentially an in-line Nike basketball shoe done up in Bulls colors). But it’s what it was that made it an all-time classic. What it was, was Michael Jordan’s first signature shoe.

Upon its release, the Air Jordan met with varying responses. The sneaker-buying public, they loved it. The shoe sold out everywhere, advertising posters were stolen across New York City and Nike catapulted to the forefront of the sneaker business. The NBA, not so much. The initial red-and-black version clashed with the other Bulls’ white sneakers, and the League fined Jordan every time he wore them. This, of course, simply made for another great commercial and added to the sales.